5 Marines killed in Osprey crash in California desert

Christopher Damien and Janet Wilson, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read
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Five Marines were killed after an Osprey aircraft crashed in the Southern California desert, a military official said Thursday. The Osprey crashed at 12:25 p.m. Wednesday during training in a remote area in Imperial County near the community of Glamis, about 115 miles east of San Diego.

The Marines were killed in what is being described by 1st Lt. Duane Kampa as an "aviation mishap" involving an MV-22B Osprey. The five have not been publicly identified but military officials say they were part of the Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

"We mourn the loss of our Marines in this tragic mishap," said Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, commanding general of 3rd MAW. "Our hearts go out to their families and friends as they cope with this tragedy."

Kampa said that authorities are conducting an investigation and equipment recovery operation.

The crash was about a quarter of a mile from BLM-managed public land and did not impact the popular Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. BLM Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services responded to the crash, BLM California desert district spokeswoman Kate Miyamoto said.

The aircraft was based at Camp Pendleton with Marine Aircraft Group 39 and was part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Maj. Mason Englehart, a spokesperson for the wing, said Wednesday.

The MV-22B is a twin-engine tiltrotor aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter but transit as a turboprop aircraft.

Versions of the aircraft are flown by the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force.

It was the second military aircraft crash in Southern California in a week. A U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed in the Mojave Desert on June 3, killing the pilot.

Military planes have also crashed in Imperial County in the past. In 2014, a Harrier Jet flying out of the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona crashed in a residential area of the city of Imperial. While three homes were hit, no one died or was injured.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 5 Marines killed in Osprey crash in California desert